Should you call a charter operator or a broker to book your next flight? The type of aircraft you need, the pickup point, and the availability of nearby lift play large roles in getting the answers right. So does understanding the difference between the two types of providers, and what sets one broker or operator apart from another.

If you’re a charter customer or fractional owner, your net worth may well exceed that of your flight provider. That would make you the deep pocket with the most to lose in an accident, yet you have no role in selecting the provider’s insurer or drafting its coverage terms. So how can you protect yourself? By performing the most dreaded task in all of aviation—reading the insurance policy—and by keeping these tips in mind:

Travelers who want to fly privately but can’t or don’t want to opt for full aircraft ownership have typically enjoyed three options: charter, jet cards and fractional shares. Choosing among them can be challenging, and now you have other alternatives to ponder as well, including lease arrangements, membership clubs and purchase-support programs. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each of these options.

Which of the major bizav access models—charter, jet card or fractional ownership—best suits you? To begin to answer that question, determine which of the statements below apply to you. If more than half of the statements for an access option apply, it could be a good choice. Note, though, that not all statements carry equal weight; the hours you fly annually can trump other factors in determining whether a solution is appropriate.

Given the amount of money involved, picking the right way to employ business aviation is one of the most critical financial decisions you can face. Unless you’re buying a whole aircraft, the first choice you have to make is what access model would best suit your needs, be it a fractional share, a jet card or traditional charter. Then you need to decide which company or companies to use.

Hindsight is 20/20—and in the fractional-share business, foresight may at best be about 20/1,000. In a market like today’s and with a rapidly evolving product like fractional, even the most seasoned insiders seem to lack a clear sense of what’s next.

Last Fall, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled proposed rules for enhancing protection for air charter customers. Since then, several influential charter brokers have gone on record as saying the proposals don’t go far enough—even though brokers are the primary targets of those rules.